Hard as it is to quibble with a 15.7 rating, “America’s Game of the Week” continues to underperform.
The Week 14 NFL national window, featuring Seahawks/Packers in 67% of markets, had a 15.7 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon — down 15% from Cowboys/Packers last year (18.4) and down 10% from coverage featuring Seahawks/Eagles in 2014 (17.4).
The 15.7 is the lowest for the Week 14 national window in five years, since coverage featuring Raiders/Packers on CBS in 2011 (12.8). The national window has now hit a multi-year low ten times in 14 weeks this season.
For just the third time all season, the national window was not the top rated sporting event of the weekend in the metered markets, trailing Cowboys/Giants on NBC’s Sunday Night Football (16.5). The Week 2 national window also trailed SNF (13.7 to 13.6), while the Week 8 edition trailed Game 5 of the World Series (15.3 to 14.7).
Despite the lower numbers, the 15.7 is the third-highest of the season for a telecast that did not involve the Cowboys — behind the Panthers/Broncos Kickoff Game (16.5) and the previous week’s national window (16.6).
Including Cowboys games, it ranks seventh.
Earlier in the day, regional action featuring Washington/Philadelphia in 68% of markets had a 9.4 overnight — down 14% from last year (10.9) and down 2% from 2014 (9.6).
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily 12/12)
